Texts, Meetings and Matters of the Literal Heart
by Vividpast
Summary: SLASH! Modern AU. 'Hi, I'm Merlin. Got your number by scrambling mine. I'm extremely bored. Who are you? ' was the text Arthur received at 3 AM. In which there are not-so-clever retorts, unnecessary angsts and a very cliché plot. What more can you wish for?
1. Of 3 AM Texts and Annoying Blokes

**A/N:** Hmm, this was supposed to be a multi-chaptered fic of mine. I have been working on this for _months_ (I kept losing my muse) but I am nowhere near finish. And I promised myself that I am going to post it only if I finish writing all the chapters. But I'm bored~. So this is going to be a boring oneshot for now.

The thing I have trouble the most is the dialogue because I truly know nothing of social etiquettes. So advice and constructive criticisms are very much welcome.

Unbeta'd so all mistakes are mine.

**Disclaimer:** In my sweetest dreams, I owned Colin Mor—I mean, BBC Merlin. Then I had to wake and face reality. :'(

_**Enjoy~**_

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**~Chapter One: Of 3 AM Texts and Annoying Blokes ~**

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"_~~You've got mail~~"_

The pillow that Arthur was lying on smothered his moan. Blinking in the darkness, his eyes met the glare of his digital clock. 3:15 AM, it said.

"It's too early for this." He mumbled, covering his head with a pillow.

Late night mails were not unusual for him—given his job as the temporary boss of Camelot Corps while his father was ill. It was mostly his secretary telling him about a mess a newbie made that he had to clean or Gwaine's drunken texts. Seriously, why was he even friends with that guy? Oh, yeah, the bastard had been there for him when his mother died.

Suddenly, the memory of the night he grudgingly answered the phone just to hear of his father's accident slammed in his mind.

Closing his eyes briefly and exhaling, he reached for his cellphone. He squinted at the bright light it was making and frowned at the unfamiliar number displayed on the screen. Curious, he opened it.

'_Hi, I'm Merlin. Got your number by scrambling mine. I'm extremely bored. Who are you? :)'_

"What the hell?" Arthur couldn't believe the nerve of this guy. Was this a prank? Was this one of _Morgana's_ prank? He wouldn't put it past her to get a new SIM card just to annoy him.

But as he stared at the number, it did contain Arthur's—just in a different arrangement. It was either Morgana bought SIM cards just to search for the right one or she was secretly a grey-hat hacker who programmed her own cell to display that number. Huh.

Still, it was three in the morning.

'_Piss off and go die.'_ He sent his reply and proceeded to go back under the comfort of his bed. He had work tomorrow.

"_~~You've got mail~~"_ came not a minute later.

Frowning, Arthur grabbed his phone from the nightstand.

'_No need to be a prat. Just wanted to talk. :-/'_

Growling, Arthur typed, _'You're the prat. It's fucking 3 in the morning and I got work.'_

Expecting that would be the end of it, he sighed and started to lie down.

"_~~You've got mail~~"_

Cursing, he snatched his phone to switch it to silent mode. But then thought better of it. What if there was an emergency call from the office or from the hospital? He wouldn't want to miss it just because of some irritating wanker.

'_Oh, same time here. You in Portugal, Ireland or UK?'_ he read.

'_What, you've got the whole Greenwich Time memorized? Leave me alone.'_ Arthur tried to be snarky, hoping that the bloke would take the hint and leave him alone.

'_Yes, because I am a GENIUS. Oxford was begging me to go to them but I declined. Too posh. Besides, it's bloody huge. It'll be midday before I get to my first class.'_

Arthur didn't know what came over him. Maybe it was the stress and he was just looking for something to be happy about. No matter what the reason was, he was suddenly gripped by a bout of laughter. He tried to remember the last time he had laughed so hard. Unsurprisingly, he came up with a blank.

Another text came. _'Or I just Googled "Greenwich Time" and got those three as the result. So Portugal, Ireland or UK? :)'_

Deciding that it couldn't hurt, Arthur answered, _'Alright. UK. London.'_

'_Seriously? London's a ten-minute ride here. O.O Wow. Coincidence or fate?'_

Raising a brow, then, realizing that the intended recipient can't see him, Arthur replied, _'You sound as if we're soul mates. Are you coming on to me?'_

'_Yes, I usually flirt with strangers whom I know nothing about. Not even the name or gender.' _He didn't know how but Arthur could detect the dripping sarcasm in the words. _'Heck, for all I know, you could be a fat snot-nosed brat who got ahold of daddy's phone.'_

Slightly offended, Arthur huffed. _'My name's Arthur. And I'll have you know that I'm fighting FIT and bleedin' GORGEOUS for a 27-year-old.'_

'_See why I'm a genius? Got your name, description, attitude (which is prattish with a side of arrogant) and gender all in one text. Except if Arthur is actually a short name for Arthuriana or Marthura or Larthurnette or something.'_

He didn't know whether to burst out laughing or be thoroughly annoyed at that. He involuntarily chose the former. Though realizing that he had been manipulated, Arthur found that he didn't care. _'No parent in their right mind would name their child something as ridiculous as those. And I'm MALE, you idiot. ' _Then, he checked the first message given to him. _'Besides, who names their child Merlin?'_

'_Only the best parents in the world! Merlin is the most powerful warlock to have ever lived and he was the wise mentor of King Arthur. Wait, you're not shitting me, are you? Is your name really Arthur?'_

He realized what the other, Merlin, was getting at.

'_Maybe you're the one lying. Arthur is a more common name than Merlin.'_

'_Need I point out that I said my name first. Man, that thing about being soul mates is becoming more and more likely. Spooky.'_

'_Don't get any wrong ideas.'_

He and Merlin talked and talked about random things. He learned that Merlin was a fresh college graduate. He took Theater Arts and was dreaming to be a big-time actor. Currently, he was being offered small roles but _'it's a start of something grand'_ or so he said.

Since his current career isn't enough to pay for his rent, Merlin was also working part-time in a café called The Dragon's Riddle. His boss obviously had no sense in naming things. Merlin agreed.

He learned that Merlin was an only child desperately wanting a sibling he could play and talk with. He clearly didn't know the horrors of having one so Arthur was kind enough to enlighten him by narrating Morgana's many schemes. Merlin was not discouraged. The fool.

He also learned that Merlin's parents died in an accident a couple years back. Arthur tried not to feel guilty for touching the subject. He failed miserably.

He couldn't believe he had just known this bloke a couple hours ago. It felt like he had known him for years. Merlin got his sense of humor, knew what subjects not to ask, knew how to get under his skin, knew how to humble him, knew how to make him blush (the last one was quite a surprise because he hadn't blush since 10-year-old Morgana decided to walk around the house starkers). And he hadn't even met him in person.

Time flew by and Arthur was oblivious to it until his alarm sounded. He then realized that he'd been exchanging texts with this Merlin the whole night. How had that happened? Hitting the snooze button, he stared at the phone in his hand as if it turned alien.

Shaking his head, he got out of bed.

'_Got to work. How about you?'_

It was only after he showered that a message arrived.

'_Nah, I'm currently on a break.'_

Arthur snorted. _'Or too lazy to get out of bed.'_

'_I am not! Go to work, you sod. And don't let your sexy co-worker distract you.'_ Arthur flushed, not quite believing he had told Merlin about his small attraction to Guinevere, his secretary. _'I'll text you later, yeah?'_

'_Okay.'_ Contemplating for a moment, Arthur decided to add, _'You can text me anytime you want.'_

Dressed in an expensive Armani suit, Arthur grabbed the keys to his sleek black sports car. Preparing himself for another long day, he started the car.

"_~~You've got mail~~"_

'_Don't regret offering, Arthur. Expect at least a hundred messages. ;)'_

He smiled and suddenly, the day didn't seem so bad.

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**And yeah, this is one of my best written fics. Some people gave me advice on how to correct my grammar and I am really thankful. So should I continue this or leave it as it is?**

**So, I just learned how to use a cellphone recently. I had embarrassed myself by asking the sales clerk of the difference between a SIM card and a memory card (and that is just so sad). That said, I don't really know much about shortcuts in texts or emoticons. Sorry if their 'conversations' doesn't seem like texts. **

**Constructive criticisms are hugged and invited to dinner! Flames are alright as long as you don't hurt anyone else.**

******EDIT: **So, uh, I decided to continue it afterall. Though updates may be sporadically. Thanks, everyone!

**Have a nice day everyone!**

_**~Vividpast**_


	2. Of Office Gossips and Pretty Faces

**Warning/s:** SLASH! Eccentricities? No spoilers though. May or may not have character death. I haven't decided yet.

**Pairing/s: **Arthur/Merlin (WOOOOOOT!)

**Rating:** For teenagers and above because swear words are present.

**Genre:** Humor, Friendship, Romance, Drama

**A/N:** Thank you all for all your reviews. As a gift, I decided to post chapter 2 earlier than I should have (unfortunately, the rest of the chapters would be irregularly updated). Meanwhile, my second SLASH! Well, second one ever _posted_. What's more, my first multi-chaptered (more than two chapters!) story! *does a happy dance*. Every story I make is based on something 'cause I'm never creative enough so some parts may be cliché.

Unbeta'd so all mistakes are mine.

**Disclaimer:** In my sweetest dreams, I owned Colin Mor—I mean, BBC Merlin. Then I had to wake and face reality. :'(

_**Enjoy~**_

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**~Chapter Two: Of Office Gossips and Pretty Faces~**

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_Two weeks later . . ._

"Hey, Val." Owen, a two-year employee in Camelot Corps, elbowed the other man.

With the perpetual bitter expression upon his face, Valiant turned to him. "What?"

"Did you notice something different today? About Mr. Pendragon?"

"Why?"

"This morning, I almost spilled coffee on him."

"And what, he fired you?" Valiant said in a bored tone, his attention on the file on his hands. "Should I call security to escort you?"

"No, that's the thing! I thought for sure that I was going to need a new job. But he just patted me on the shoulder and said—and I quote—'That's alright. No harm done. Be careful next time.'" His tone was one of disbelief, as if the sheer impossibility of it might destroy the universe.

Glancing at the boss' office, Valiant raised a brow. Arthur Pendragon was sitting on his desk, computer propped on one side and an endless pile of documents on the other. His usual neutral expression revealed nothing out of place. However, in the span of one minute, the blonde managed to glance at his BlackBerry a total of five times. Strange as that was, the boss could have just been waiting for an important call.

"And Gwen told me he thanked her! As in, the smile-and-look-in-the-eye-with-sincerity kind of thank you!"

"I'm sure he's just in a good mood."

"His good mood doesn't last an _hour_. He's been like that for _days_."

A faint sound resounded loud enough to warrant their attention. They looked back at the boss's office where it originated. It sounded like the blonde's usual "~~You've got mail~~". They watched as their boss dropped every document he's holding and seemed to scramble for his phone. His eagerness provided them a rare view of spectacular clumsiness in which he almost dropped the phone. Then, _then_, the most surreal thing happened.

Arthur Pendragon—the most evil (second only to his father), the rudest, most insufferable and short-tempered human being that they had the displeasure of meeting—chuckled. He _laughed_ over a _text_.

Valiant and Owen thought that deserved the wide-eyes and jaw-drops they gave it and perhaps more.

Work seemingly forgotten, the blonde leaned back on his armchair and typed a reply to whatever message he received.

"Did you see that? Did you?" Vivian, a shrill lady that was supposed to work on the 17th floor, approached the two men. "There's a pool going on, you know, about the boss' strange behavior."

"Pool?" Valiant perked up at the sound. He always did like gambling.

"Yeah, yeah. Many wagered he's in love. Some said he must have been watching porn on his phone or something funny because no woman can ever stand him." She leered at the blonde. "But I, for one, wouldn't mind having a piece of that."

Valiant and Owen stared at her with open disgust. "Keep your thoughts to yourself."

"I'm betting on the former. That—" Valiant pointed at the blonde's somewhat dreamy expression while staring at the screen of his phone. "—is exactly Owen's face when he thinks of Elena."

Owen punched Valiant's arm at the reminder of his unrequited love. Valiant glared, rubbing the said arm.

Their boss suddenly looked up.

The employees abruptly went to work, some pretending to observe a particular pattern on the floor and an unlucky guy needed to pretend to be sniffing an indoor plant. Sending each of them an unamused glance, the blonde went back to his BlackBerry.

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Arthur was not gay.

At least, he thought he wasn't until he unknowingly started flirting with a man he hasn't even seen yet. He was starting to have doubts about his sexual orientation. But then again, Merlin must be coming off as a girl through his texts that Arthur's senses perceived him as such.

Yes, that must be it.

'_Co-workers are jittery today.'_ He avoided mentioning to Merlin that he was the boss of his own company. He wanted at least one person not to care about his social status, even if he hadn't met him before. _'Kept looking at me like I have something on my face. Which I have not.'_

'_Maybe your whole face is one big dirt to them :)' _Was the reply.

Arthur raised a brow. _'You say such mean things that break my heart.' _See, totally normal conversation with friends. _Totally_ not flirting and totally not gay.

_Oh shut up_, Arthur told the voice niggling at the back of his mind (because it sounded suspiciously like Morgana).

Arthur then added, _'How many times do I have to tell you that I'm more GORGEOUS than that Jack Borrowman you always rave about.'_ Putting his inner dilemma aside, Arthur was quite sure that Merlin was gay; based on his texts about various girly things. That, or he's actually a girl. Arthur didn't know which one he preferred.

'_First of all, it's JOHN BARROWMAN (really, how many times do I have to spell it for you?). And second, no one can compare to his gorgeousness. I repeat, NO ONE. Okay, to end this incessant argument, send me a pic so I can judge for myself.'_

The suggestion threw Athur off-guard. Staring wide-eyed at his phone, Arthur contemplated on what to do. He still doesn't trust this Merlin (even though he had told him secrets not even Morgana knew). For all he knew, Merlin could very well be in an insane asylum and if Arthur gave him a picture, he might hunt him down the moment he escapes. Or maybe he's an ex-convict wanting to find a target to kill or something.

So maybe he was over-thinking this.

If worse comes to worst, Arthur had enough money and time for a plastic surgery (though he prefer not to kiss his handsome face goodbye)

Glancing around (and ignoring his employers non-subtle way of eavesdropping), he sighed.

'_Maybe later. They're staring at me again and I can't take a photo while at work. In fact, I'm not supposed to be talking to you at all. You're a very bad influence.' _Even though he said this, Arthur couldn't help but indulge himself. Maybe, just this once, he can. _'How about you send me a picture of you first?'_

It was after he sent this that realization dawned. He would be seeing what Merlin looked like—if he agreed, of course. He was excited as well as anxious to know. Although, Arthur just couldn't imagine Merlin being anything but an average-looking bloke.

The reply came five minutes later when in his nerves were scrambling all over the place. _'Fine. Here'_

Scrolling down, a picture of a cute little boy met his sight. He had messy dark hair, pale skin and stunning blue eyes. His ears were ridiculously huge and charming. He was biting on a large spiral lollipop, eyes wide as he stared at the camera.

'_Bloody hell, are you a fucking—'_ Thinking better of it, he deleted the message and rephrased it with mild words—just in case his suspicions were true. _'Hey, are you actually a kid? Are you the snot-nosed brat we were mentioning?'_ The notion of it horrified him. He'd been swearing and _flirting_ with him in his texts.

'_Haha, got you good, didn't I? That was me when I was 8. You didn't say it had to be recent.'_

Arthur rolled his eyes. _'I thought that was common sense. I forgot that you weren't born with that. Send me a recent pic then.'_

While waiting for an answer, he saved the image of the little boy on his memory card. Well, it was kinda adorable (and he was thinking of this in a non-pedophilic way). He has got to show this to Morgana. On second thought, no. The witch would probably get Merlin's phone number and suffocate him with her non-stop texts.

'_Alright' _came in.

What he saw took his breath away.

Merlin was nothing he expected. The young man in the feature bore a bit of resemblance to the previous picture of the boy. Messy raven locks draping over endearingly large ears, the pale skin almost translucent. His cheekbones was so prominent and sharp, they could cut glass. Slender fingers interlaced each other, hands as dainty as a girl's. A smile lit up his face, the same fascinating blue eyes crinkling.

Merlin was nothing he expected because he was _perfect_.

Arthur's mouth went dry, tracing the image with his finger. Shaking himself out of the stupor, he asked, _'Is this really you? If it is, your ears are ridiculous.'_ He hoped this wasn't one of Merlin's jokes.

He saved the picture in his memory card.

'_You're a proper prat, you know. :-/ My ears are awesome.'_

'_Yeah, awesome like Dumbo's. But seriously, is this you?'_

'_What, am I so dazzling you can't believe it? It's me. Now, send me yours.'_

Glancing around once again, he found that most of the employees had stopped trying to see through his office. Deciding it couldn't harm anyone, he set his phone in camera mode. An arm's length away, he clicked the button and heard the snapping sound of the picture being taken.

He viewed it, frowned as he saw his hair sticking up in different directions and his face looking like he was constipated. He never was the photogenic type. He shaped his hair down, set his shoulders and settled for a neutral expression as he took another picture.

Murmurs burst forth from the other side of the office. His head whipped on that side, glaring at the non-too-furtive whisperings of his employees. They promptly shut up and went back to work.

Groaning in exasperation, he sent the picture with the message, _'Great. You've embarrassed me in front of my co-workers. Satisfied?'_

It took a while before another text to come in. _'Did the boss catch you? If so, I am very satisfied. :D'_ Arthur almost laughed at that. If only Merlin knows. _'On another note, are you sure this isn't a pic of a commercial model? You didn't get this in Google or Yahoo, did you? I wouldn't put it past you to do that just to impress me.'_

The blonde smiled a Cheshire grin. _'Yes that is me. You, insisting it's a pic of a model, mean you think I am GORGEOUS. And why in the world would I want to impress you?'_

'_So maybe you're a bit on the attractive side. But you're attitude certainly pulled you down. And yes, you would want to impress me because I'm the only one you know that isn't easily impressed by your awesomeness or something.'_

Humming, Arthur silently agreed on Merlin's last point—not that he'd ever admit that. People around him are easily impressed (or intimidated) by his looks or skills.

Arthur glared again at the employees still trying to look through his office. Damn it, he should be working. There were still a lot of things to do.

'_I got to get back to work. Later.'_ He sent.

'_Okay. Bye, you dollophead.'_

'_A new nickname? I'm pretty sure that's not in the English dictionary.'_

'_I'm so creative that even the dictionary doesn't have the words to limit my boundless imagination.'_

'_You know, there's this idiom you remind me of. Maybe you've heard of it. It's 'blowing his own trumpet.''_

'_Oh, what a coincidence. I was thinking of an expression you remind me of too. It's called 'pot calling kettle black'.'_

Smiling, the blonde typed his own retort.

That day, Arthur Pendragon didn't get any work done.

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**I guess I got carried away in writing this chapter. It's too long. But this is my favorite chapter out of all and I'm quite of proud of it (but shouldn't I be? Is it actually terrible to the eyes of others?)**

**Oh, here are my replies to the anonymous reviews.**

**Midnight Lupus - **Thank you for your comment! I hope you like the 2nd chapter!

**Guest - **Hehehe, no pressure at all. I'm glad that you deem this fic worthy. I hope I can meet your expectations!

**sword - **You . . . I don't know how you did it but you kinda predicted a part of my plot even though I gave no indication of that happening. Are you psychic? XD. Thanks for your comment!

**Constructive criticisms are hugged and invited to dinner! Flames are alright as long as you don't hurt anyone else.**

**Have a nice day everyone!**

_**~Vividpast**_


	3. Of Annoying and Protective Sisters

**Warnings:** SLASH! Eccentricities? No spoilers though. May or may not have character death. I haven't decided yet.

**Pairings: **Arthur/Merlin (WOOOOOOT!)

**Rating:** For teenagers and above because swear words are present.

**Genre:** Humor, Friendship, Romance, Drama

**A/N:** Thank you all for all your reviews! I was so happy! I had lots of time in my hands as we had no classes for the rest of the week (I don't know whether to be happy about that or guilty because people are losing their homes and drowning while I idle in the comfort of my home). So, here's the next chapter!

Um, I think I can manage a regular update of one chapter every five days after this chapter. But I'm not making any promises. :)

Unbeta'd so all mistakes are mine.

**Disclaimer:** In my sweetest dreams, I owned Colin Mor—I mean, BBC Merlin. Then I had to wake and face reality. :'(

_**Enjoy~**_

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**~Chapter Three: Of Annoying and Protective Sisters~**

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"Spill."

Arthur looked up from the document he was reading and wished he didn't. The deceptively beautiful face of his sister greeted him. She was leaning on his desk, far too close to him that he would have liked.

He wrinkled his nose. "What do you want, Morgs? And get your mug out of my face."

Huffing, she straightened, glaring at him through kohl-lined eyes. She crossed her arms, raising a brow at him. He felt like a little kid under her gaze and he bristled.

"I heard you've got a girlfriend." She said, tone nonchalant but he can see in her eyes that her interests were piqued.

Immediately, Merlin's picture came to mind. He fought down the urge to blush at thought of _Merlin_—a guy he has never even met—being his lover. Why was his mind playing tricks on him? Merlin's just his mate, a friend who could understand him, who didn't care about his social status, who was honest and naïve, who was astoundingly stunning, who—So maybe he had a wee bit of a crush on him. But it would fade away. Surely. Maybe.

Realizing he was taking too long to answer, he stared at her, showing her how absurd he thought the suggestion was. "You know I don't have time for a love life."

Memories of his father, lying on the hospital bed, flashed in his mind's eye. His father had looked so vulnerable with all the machines hooked up to him. He pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking the images away. He massaged his temples, the headache from this morning coming to the forefront of his mind.

Like the witch she is, Morgana sensed his distress and seemed almost sympathetic. She granted him a moment of silence. She too had it hard as with her job as the overseeing organizer for Camelot Corps. But Morgana had always been stronger than him in everything—not that she'd tell her that. Plus, Arthur had a much closer relationship with his father (or as close as you can be with Uther Pendragon as your dad) than Morgana.

"You alright?" The almost concern tone of her voice warranted a suspicious look. Morgana was unperturbed.

"Fine. Just a headache."

Assessing him for a minute, Morgana continued. "Well, anyway, Gwen says otherwise." She pointed at the general direction of his secretary's desk. "She said you're acting as if you're in the clouds, works as slow as a snail and being nice to everyone!"

"I'm always nice." He said reasonably. He saw Morgana roll her eyes so hard that they almost fell off.

"We're worried that the stress got to you and made you insane." She stared at him with mock anxiousness. Then, a smile belied her words. "I can take over the company if you want."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "No, I have not gone mad. And there's no girl. Not that it's any of your business anyway." He waved her away, hoping she would get the hint. "And imagining the company in your hands gives me the most horrible nightmares."

"Arthur, you know you can't lie to me. You're hiding something." Morgana stared some more, probably hoping he would crumble and confess.

Arthur is not called a Pendragon for nothing. "I am not lying, Morgana. I told you, there is no-"

"_~~You've got mail~~"_

Merlin had the worst timing in the universe.

It may not be Merlin, a part of Arthur's brain thought. The guy isn't the only who had Arthur's phone number after all. However, for the past two months, Arthur had this ridiculous notion that his phone was for the purpose of communicating with Merlin and that alone.

Yes, he's in deep shit.

The phone was lying on his desk, between him and his sister. Both Pendragons stared at it and shared a moment of confused and shock silence.

"Morgana . . ."

When their brains caught up, the siblings simultaneously started reaching for the phone. Unfortunately for Arthur, his sister had quicker reflexes than him. Cursing, he went around the desk to snatch his phone back.

Morgana frowned at the picture of a cute little boy on the display screen and above it says, 'Merlin the Idiot'. Moving farther away from the furious man that was her brother, she opened the mail.

'_Arthur, I'm having a heated debate here. Who is the better Doctor, David Tennant or Matt Smith? If you don't know what I'm talking about AGAIN, you are not a proper British citizen. Or have been living under a rock._

_I know you sleep, like, five hours a day and I tried to tell you that that isn't healthy (the day that you listen to me is the day you will realize how wise and awesome I am). Fact: 10 hours of sleep = rejuvenated __feeling__ with no headache. Even Superman does it, you know, so no need to worry about appearing human. Won't be texting you tonight so get some sleep, prat. Eat some fruits and avoid working in the dark. ;)'_

Morgana's brows rose to her hairline as she finished reading. Arthur jerkily grabbed the phone from her. Reading the message, Arthur couldn't help but smile at Merlin's eccentric questions and surprising thoughtfulness. And what do you know; it _was_ from Merlin. Then, he remembered that his evil witch of a sister had read the same text.

"This is not what it looks like."

"Oh?" Morgana asked in an incredibly irritating tone, an amused smile on her face. "Because it looks to me that Gwen was wrong."

Arthur blinked. "If so, it's exactly what it looks like."

Morgana's smile grew wider (something Arthur hadn't thought possible), showing a lot of teeth. "Gwen told me it was a _girlfriend_ but clearly your inclination has changed over time for it to be a _boyfriend_."

The blonde spluttered. "What? I—It isn't—That was—I haven't got—Merlin isn't my—Damn it, Morgana, I'm not gay!" Well, that was convincing.

Staring at him with a lifted brow, Morgana drawled out, "Uh-uhuh. So you just let people call you a—what was that?—_prat_?"

"No! I—" Arthur really had no reply to that. "I—Hmm, I let Gwaine call me a Princess." Yup, he could have had a better retort than that.

Morgana burst out cackling—something inappropriate for a lady in her status to do. Arthur's ears burned with embarrassment.

Arthur shot her a glare and proceeded to stomp—walk! He was not an immature child!—towards his desk. Sitting down, he pointedly ignored her as he picked up the documents he was skimming over. His hands itched to reply to Merlin's text but not just yet. He would wait until his sister had left.

"So," The blonde suppressed a growl as Morgana refused to leave him alone. "Where did you two meet?"

"We haven't met." He replied curtly.

"What?"

Sighing in resignation, he put down the papers. "He texted me one night and we hit off. And we're just _text mates_, Morgs."

Morgana's eyes widened. "It's not one of those stalkers, is it?"

"No." Arthur winced as he remembered that certain incident. But somehow, it felt wrong to imagine _Merlin_ as that kind of guy. "He's not."

Unconvinced, his sister continued on drilling him about Merlin; asking how it all started, what kind of information he's been telling him, and how would Arthur know he isn't one of those psychos. Arthur defended Merlin throughout their heated argument because Merlin isn't that kind of person. He didn't know how he knew, just that he knew and _believed_ that. Merlin was honest, cheeky, insufferable, annoying and maybe a bit lovable.

Morgana was relentless, giving him logical and even illogical reasons to prove her point. After a couple of minutes of arguing, Arthur had had enough.

He rose from his seat and held out his palm. "Fine, give me your cell!"

Taken aback, Morgana simply stared at him. "What?"

"Just give it to me!"

After a moment of narrowed eyes, his sister fished her cellphone and cautiously placed it on his palm. Then, he frowned as if he realized he had yet to memorize Merlin's number. Well, it was too much trouble to do so when it was saved in his phone's memory. Getting his own phone, he searched for the information and saved the number on Morgana's cellphone.

"You can text him yourself." He gave the cell back to a bemused Morgana.

". . . Why?" she asked slowly.

"Because I want to prove my point. You won't understand until you talk to him yourself."

'_Gave your number to Morgana. I am not sympathetic of what would become of you.'_ He sent Merlin a warning because he knew his sister would be merciless with him.

He really _really_ hoped Morgana wouldn't scare Merlin off. If she did, who else could he text that was as insolent and fun to banter with as Merlin? (And the fact that his heart soared whenever he received a particularly flirty text from Merlin had nothing to do with it.)

"You really believed in this Merlin." Morgana looked at him thoughtfully. He gazed steadily back. She glanced at her own phone. "Alright, I'll give him the benefit of doubt. We'll see if this guy is who you _think_ he is."

With that, she turned on her stiletto heels and swiftly headed for the door. Arthur sighed in relief. Pausing midway through the opened door, Morgana turned to him with a straight face that was obviously hiding her inner delight.

"By the way, tell him Matt Smith is _definitely_ the best. The isn't a doubt about that."

The next day, Morgana practically flew into his office. Employees gave her strange looks as she breezed by but she gave no indication she cared. Arthur narrowed his eyes at her.

With a big grin on her face and an odd light in her eyes, she said,

"I give you my blessing. When are you going to propose?"

Arthur hit his head on the desk with a groan, toppling a stack of papers. Sure, he _had_ proven his point but . . .

What's worse than a Protective!Morgana is a Fangirl!Morgana.

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**Not much interaction between Merlin and Arthur here. I really wanted to introduce Morgana because she's a fun character to write. Sorry about the slight tweaking of her character but I guess I unconsciously shaped her into a perfect antagonizing sister with a brother complex.**

**Here are my replies to the anonymous reviews:**

**tigertiger **–Thanks for your comment! I hope you like chapter three :)

**Merlin22** – Thanks for your comment! I tried my best to write everyone with their proper characteristics. I hope you like chapter three :)

**olo** – I'll try to update as soon as I can! I hope you like chapter three :)

**Sam** – I'm glad that you gave my fic a chance! I'll try to update as soon as I can. I hope you like chapter three :)

**2lazy2signin** – I'd delighted that I made you happy! I'll try my best to finish all the chapters. I hope you like chapter three :)

**Nicholas Riverson** – Thank you for your comment! I'll try my best to update as soon as possible. I hope you like chapter three :)

**Constructive criticisms are hugged and invited to dinner! Flames are alright as long as you don't hurt anyone else!**

**Have a nice day, everyone!**

_**~Vividpast**_


	4. Of Winning Bets and Moving Plots

**Warnings:** SLASH! Eccentricities? No spoilers though. May or may not have character death. I haven't decided yet.

**Pairings: **Arthur/Merlin (WOOOOOOT!)

**Rating:** For teenagers and above because swear words are present.

**Genre:** Humor, Friendship, Romance, Drama

**A/N:** I'm really nervous about this chapter because it had been hard to write. I hope it meets your expectations!

Unbeta'd so all mistakes are mine.

**Disclaimer:** In my sweetest dreams, I owned Colin Mor—I mean, BBC Merlin. Then I had to wake and face reality. :'(

_**Enjoy~**_

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**~Chapter Four: Of Winning Bets and Moving Plots~**

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Arthur Pendragon knew that his sister tells everything to Gwen. He also knew that this thing she found out was something Morgana would happily spread around. He just hoped the witch doesn't twist the story into something it was not.

He was sorely disappointed.

Morgana, after her amazing flight to the boss' office, had talked rather loudly with Gwen about their boss' not-so-secret lover.

"What? No way." Gwen denied, wide-eyed as she looked for any kind of a jest on Morgana's face.

"No, really." Morgana nodded sagely. "Arthur's boyfriend was so charming. And I saw a picture! He was so adorable!" Morgana practically shouted, eyes sweeping over the bent postures of the clerks.

All ears perked up at that. _THUD_ was the sound of many papers crashing to the ground (or perhaps someone fainting?). The ringing of the telephones was ignored in favor of slowly turning to Morgana with horrified faces. Silence ensued.

Their thoughts could not get past, _Oh my God_ as their brains tried to process (or deny) the words they had heard.

Morgana coolly stared at them. "What are you lot looking at? Get back to work."

The employees stifled an "eep" as they sharply went back to their own businesses. Morgana can be more frightening than her brother (if her brother had the tyranny of a king, Morgana would be the devil himself) if the wrong buttons were pushed.

The Pendragon turned back to Gwen. "So, anyway, his name is Merlin."

Gwen let out a laugh. Some clerks failed to smother theirs.

"Yeah, I know. Like King Arthur and his wizard Merlin, right? Apparently, he's a small-time actor planning to get big. But with a face and charisma like that, I have no doubt that his debut will come sooner than he thinks. And . . ." Morgana continued, smirking as she noticed that the whole floor was silent and everyone was hanging on every word she said.

Gossip spread like wildfire throughout the whole building. By the end of the day, the workers of Camelot Corps knew everything there was to know (or everything Morgana had said about him) about their boss' future husband and the organizer's future brother-in-law.

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"This is quite unexpected." One Elena Godwyn said in the midst of drinking her coffee.

Her actions, predictably, caused the molten drink to drip on her disheveled clothes. She mutters a mild curse, accepting the napkin Owen offered her. Really, that guy was such a good friend.

"Okay, everyone, pay up!" Owen shouted loud enough for the whole floor of personnel to hear.

The employees released a groan in unison, fishing out their wallets and getting their respective money. Some muttered, "fangirls, really", others "Wish I too had a gaydar". Owen glared at those who were hesitant in paying and who were complaining too much. At this, most hurriedly dropped their money on Elena's desk and scurried away. Valiant just growled and grudgingly placed the bills.

Remember that pool we were mentioning? Yes, many wagered their boss, Arthur Pendragon, was head over hills and impossibly in love. However, Elena was the only person who specified that it might be bloke. It was just a slip of the tongue for Elena but she stood by her words, not really expecting to be right.

As the pile of money increased in size, Elena was thinking that maybe she would be rich by the end of the day.

Elena started approaching her desk (where more personnel were dropping their bills) and tripped on mid-air, as always. The other people didn't even bat an eyelid. The girl was familiar with the blue-carpeted floor as she often found herself sprawled on top of it. She just didn't think her face would meet it again so soon.

And suddenly, a strong pair of arms caught her. Looking up through her messy blonde locks, Elena found herself face-to-face with her best friend, Owen.

"Uh, er—Yo-You should be more careful, Elena." Owen stuttered out, releasing his hold on her as soon as she regained her footing. His face colored slightly.

"Wow, you have quick reflexes." Elena praised. "You're the first one to ever catch me when I'm falling." Elena smiled goofily at him and he happily smiled back. "I knew you were my best friend for a reason."

Owen's smile became strained.

Valiant snickered and quickly turned it into cough when Elena turned to him.

Other observant employees snorted and shook their heads. Elena cocked her head to the side in confusion.

"Well, let's count your winnings, shall we?" Owen said before anyone else showed his or her reaction.

He led Elena to her desk and sat her down. He took another chair and settled down across her. Elena started counting the money she had won, all the while wondering at the stray word she caught. What did 'friendzoned' mean?

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'_I thought your sister was gonna eat me alive! O.O But suddenly, she did 180-degree-turn. She was so nice and I can't imagine her doing all the things you told me.'_

Arthur couldn't help but be curious. _'What did you tell her? Morgana doesn't warm up to just anybody. You must have done something.'_

"_I may have mentioned one or two of your embarrassing secrets. She then decided that I was an ally in her cause.'_

'_You what! ? Merlin, I thought I could trust you.'_ Images of future pranks and incessant teasing filled Arthur's whole being with dread.

'_It was a noble sacrifice, Arthur. Your dignity in exchange for my life.'_

'_I will take that life away from you. I will hunt you down to the ends of the world and wring that life out of you.'_

'_So melodramatic. Fine. I didn't tell her anything, you prat.' _

Arthur let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Thank the merciful heavens for that.

'_Even though she was very persuasive (no, really, she offered me cash and I thought she was mad). I just told her that if she let me be your husband, I would shape you into a proper gentleman who wasn't a prat, remove your sexual frustrations so you wouldn't take it out of the employees, and adopt cute little children that I would let her spoil. That and get her many posters of Doctor Who with autographs from Matt Smith when I get famous enough to meet him. :D'_

The image that Merlin painted was an incredibly tempting one and _what the hell was he thinking_. Arthur shook the thoughts out of his head before they got any weirder.

He glared at his phone and momentarily considered sending a picture of his glare to make it more effective. _'So that's where she got that idea. I hate you. I really do. Morgana has been annoying the hell out of me, asking about weddings and adopted nieces and nephews. It's your fault.'_

'_No, she brought it up. She said you're getting too old and needs to settle down.'_

'_27 is not old. :( '_

'_It is, actually. And did you just use an emoticon? O.o The world is coming to a bitter end!'_

'_Shut up. I am allowed to use emoticons whenever I want.'_ Arthur was about to send this when his phone rang.

The number displayed was one of a hospital's—his father's hospital. It had been a few weeks ago since he last heard from them and it was a couple of weeks before that he'd last visited his father. He didn't want to see his father looking so exposed so decided to see less of him as possible.

A growing sense of trepidation gnawed at him as he pressed the answer button.

"Arthur Pendragon speaking." Arthur said, trying to keep his voice as nonchalant as possible.

"_Arthur."_ Dr. Gaius, his father's personal doctor, greeted. _"There's a new development on your father's condition."_

The blonde tried to draw a conclusion based on the doctor's tone or voice. But Gaius was an expert on the whole neutral thing so Arthur didn't know whether it was good or bad news.

"Cut the suspense, Gaius, and tell it to me straight." Arthur didn't know if his nerves could take more of this. Hope blossomed in his chest as part of him expected to hear that his father had woken up and would be getting better. The other half of him dreaded what he was about to hear.

"_I believe that you should come to the hospital. This isn't something we can talk over the phone. Bring Morgana with you. Both of you should hear this."_

The carefully chosen words did it for Arthur. Whatever he was hearing later on would be anything but good. Suddenly, the air was knocked out of him. He swallowed, trying to get himself to speak.

After a moment, he successfully managed a "Very well. We'll be there."

The line clicked. Arthur was left staring into thin air, wondering if he could face the news waiting for him.

Steeling himself, Arthur rose to his feet and grabbed his coat. Just as he was about to text Morgana, his phone signaled an incoming text.

'_Hey, you still there? Did you get mug or something? If so, hey thief! I'm Merlin. Got the number of the phone you stole by scrambling mine. I'm extremely bored. Who are you? :)'_

Arthur couldn't help but give a small smile at the reminder of Merlin; Merlin who continued on even when he lost his parents so suddenly, who held on and strived forward even if he had no one else to turn to. The notion of him gave Arthur the courage he needed to face his own problems.

'_Haha, very funny. Something came up and I won't be able to reply back to your messages for a while. Kay?'_ Arthur knew he often snap when under stress and he did not want to lash out on Merlin—which was sure to happen when he learns the truth about his father's condition. He didn't want to lose contact with him.

'_Okay. Won't text you for a while. Good luck :)'_ Merlin sent as if he sensed that Arthur was in some kind of dilemma. Maybe, Merlin was psychic.

Sighing, Arthur ran a hand through his hair. He made his way out of his office and told Guinevere to cancel all his appointments for today. His secretary was surprised—for he never misses a day's work—but she complied.

With that, Arthur called Morgana and headed to his car.

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**I seriously did not want to include the parts about Owen and Elena but! but!, I don't know what happened! A break from the original love story perhaps?**

**Here, you can see the plot unwinding~~. Meh, not much, though. **

**Here are my replies to the anonymous reviews:**

**tigertiger **–Thanks for the comment! :D I hope you would also enjoy the rest of the chapters!

**Merlin22** – I love imagining Morgana as a fangirl too! The horrors both Arthur and Merlin would experience. Congratulations on creating an account! It's easier to maneuver here in with it :)

**Midnight Lupus – **Thank you for your comment! I hope to keep you entertained for the rest of the story! :)

**Nicholas Riverson** – I'm glad you like it! Of course they'll meet . . . eventually :D

**Kaykit**– Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment! I hope you liked chapter four!

**cat** – Personally, I like both Matt Smith and David Tennant. But Morgana strikes me as a woman who wants men he can easily manipulate. I guess, in a sense, she is kinda like Amy Pond XD.

**Guest** – Thank you for taking that time to leave a comment! I hope you liked chapter four :)

PREVIEW (because you guys are the best XD):

"_Hullo?" _

The unfamiliar baritone voice on his cellphone snapped him out of his trance. He frowned, staring at his phone in confusion. Who had he called?

"_Arthur, I know that's you. I got a caller ID, you know."_ There was lilt of a smile on the voice. _"Why did you suddenly decide to call, prat?"_

Realization dawned on Arthur. There was only one person who would call him that to his face. As he stared at the number displayed, his suspicions were confirmed.

Out of all people, he had called Merlin.

"_Um, hullo? Are you pranking me, Arthur?"_ And that voice was Merlin's. The sound was oddly soothing and certainly the best thing he had heard all day.

END OF PREVIEW

**I'm kind of having a problem with the next chapters because it's angsty (unlike the previous chapters) and it's difficult to switch genres just like that. So . . . I may update later than usual.**

**Constructive criticisms are hugged and invited to dinner! Flames are alright as long as you don't hurt anyone else!**

**Have a nice day, everyone!**

_**~Vividpast**_


	5. Of Grieving and Comforting Voices

**Warnings:** SLASH! Eccentricities? No spoilers though. May or may not have character death. I haven't decided yet.

**Pairings: **Arthur/Merlin (WOOOOOOT!)

**Rating:** For teenagers and above because swear words are present.

**Genre:** Humor, Friendship, Romance, Drama

**A/N:** I apologize for the super late update. I was asking around for the perfect way to comfort somebody and none of their answers had satisfied me so I didn't write it yet. I was thinking of skipping ahead and just glossing over the whole event but then, tragedy strike our family and I am almost feeling what Arthur was feeling in this chapter. I can't say if it's good though.

Thank you for all your comments. They really cheered me up!

Unbeta'd so all mistakes are mine.

**Disclaimer:** In my sweetest dreams, I owned Colin Mor—I mean, BBC Merlin. Then I had to wake and face reality. :'(

This chapter reflects what I am currently feeling so I'm sorry if Arthur act out of character. I truly apologize.

_**Enjoy~**_

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_**~Chapter Five: Of Grieving and Comforting Voices~**_

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"Deteriorating? What do you mean?" Morgana demanded, arms crossed and eyes narrowed.

Dr. Gaius was unperturbed in the face of Morgana's authoritative air. "Your father's condition had worsened over the past few weeks. His brainwave activities are decreasing in each passing day. We believe it's only a matter of time before he becomes brain dead."

Arthur had been prepared for anything. On his way to the hospital, he braced himself for anything the doctor might say. He told Morgana of his thoughts so that she too wouldn't be caught off guard or has any false hopes. Both of them had mentally and emotionally prepared themselves for any scenario and how to handle it—as is the Pendragon way. They can't show any weakness.

"Brain dead." Arthur echoed.

Yes, they had also thought of this scenario. But damn it. As it turns out, nothing can really prepare a person for the real thing.

"But we don't know that for sure, right?" Arthur reasoned, trying and failing to extinguish the pleading note in his voice.

Gaius gave him a pitying look. Arthur resented that look and said as much through his frown. "We are doing the best we can but you have to prepare yourself for the worst."

"How long—" Morgana cleared her throat and let out a shaky breath. "How long do you think he has?"

"Weeks—a few months at most."

Arthur closed his eyes and laid his head on his hands. He couldn't believe it. His father had always been healthy; he didn't drink, he didn't smoke, he had no vices, he eats a healthy diet. He and Morgana had no fear of him dying any time soon.

Arthur felt hollow. It was one of the strangest feelings in the world. It was like something scooped out everything inside of him and left him with nothing but a shell. He knows he should be feeling something. He should be feeling sad, frustrated, upset—anything. The fact that he wasn't scared him the most.

The three shared a moment of tensed silence. There was nothing left to be said.

"May we see him?" Morgana asked, breaking the stillness.

No one commented on the unshed tears on her eyes as they made their way to their father's room.

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It was odd, seeing his father just lying there. He looked like he was only sleeping. Maybe he was. Maybe the doctors just made some kind of mistake and he would wake up and be all commanding and intimidating.

Morgana took the chair beside the bed. She held their father's hand and then, her mask shattered. Tears escaped her eyes and a heart-wrenching sob tore its way out of her throat. She was muttering incoherent words, all of them directed to their father. It made Arthur step back, eyes wide as he saw his sister break down. He had never thought to see that in a million years.

The room was suddenly to stifling for both of them. Arthur felt like he was invading in on a private moment even though he should be joining her. He scrabbled for the door and promptly made his way out, giving Morgana the privacy she needed.

Once outside, he exhaled in relief. He leaned on the door and heard the muffled cries of his sister.

Morgana had always been stronger than him in terms of emotional pain. She would fight off anything that hurts her and laugh boisterously after the whole ordeal. Arthur tried to relate the facts he knew about Morgana to the woman he had just witnessed crying. They were two different people.

Everything was going wrong. His world was tilting on its axis and turning upside-down.

In a sudden fit of anger, Arthur pulled out his fist and drove it hard onto the cream-painted wall. The pain that erupted in his knuckles did little to break him out of his emotionless stupor. Blood flowed freely from his hands, dripping to the floor.

If the drunken bastard who had caused all this wasn't already dead, Arthur would probably pushed him into moving traffic and see how he likes being rammed through. But as it is, Arthur had nothing to direct his anger to but a cement wall. And speaking of which, his hand hurt like hell.

"Shit." He winced, fetching the handkerchief in his pocket and wrapping it around the wound.

Thinking that he had done enough damage to himself, Arthur headed out of the hospital and drove to his flat, mind blissfully blank.

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It was past seven when he arrived at his flat.

On his way, he remembered sending Morgana a text saying he was going home. After that, it was all a blur, really. When he came to his senses, he found himself staring at the celling of his room and lying on his bed, still wearing his outfit for work.

He was exhausted. He had never felt more tired in his life. Yet, he also felt so tense, like a taut rope ready to break.

He stared at his injured hand, surprised to find it bandaged properly. When had he done that? He started wiggling his fingers and stopped when the throbbing worsened.

Before he knew it, he had fished his cellphone from his pocket. The screen of it was the only light in the whole flat, Arthur realized. Then, it was like he lost control of his own body. His hand had a mind of its own as it pressed the call button.

"_Hullo?" _

The unfamiliar baritone voice on his cellphone (and it was on speaker) snapped him out of his trance. He frowned, staring at his phone in confusion. Who had he called?

"_Arthur, I know that's you. I got a caller ID, you know."_ There was lilt of a smile on the voice. _"Why did you suddenly decide to call, prat?"_

Realization dawned on Arthur. There was only one person who would call him that to his face. As he stared at the number displayed, his suspicions were confirmed.

Out of all people, he had called Merlin. Of course, Arthur should have known his phone would pick Merlin's number out of his many contacts. That thing about soul mates and fate was really starting to spook him.

"_Um, hullo? Are you pranking me, Arthur?"_ And that voice was Merlin's. The sound was oddly soothing and certainly the best thing he had heard all day. _"'Cause if you are, you don't know how to do it. The victim isn't supposed to know who the caller is."_

"Hey, Merlin." He finally decided to answer as he laid the phone beside his head. "No, I'm not pranking you. I just . . ." he trailed off.

Why had he called Merlin? For the two months they were texting, this was the first time they heard each other's voice. Arthur was contented in just texting Merlin, not wanting to break the friendly routine they had. But here he was, breaking it and wondering why he hadn't done it sooner.

"_What's wrong?"_ Merlin's tone was full of concern. Arthur couldn't believe why he would care so much for someone he just met on the phone.

"Hey, what's your father like?" Arthur blurted, the question a surprise even for himself.

"_My dad?"_

It then dawned to Arthur that the topic might be a bit sensitive, for both him and Merlin. He didn't know what he was thinking. But before the blonde could take back his words, Merlin beat him to it.

"_I-I can't really talk about him."_ Of course. Arthur can understand that but then, Merlin continued, _"I didn't know him that well. You see, there was this sappy story about how my parents met . . ."_

And Merlin proceeded to tell him his parents' love story, which unexpectedly involved a lot of sweet poetry, disagreeable parents, and lack of knowledge in modern technology. The story _was_ a bit silly—like it was taken out of a fairy tale book. Arthur was tempted to mention as much to Merlin but he didn't want to interrupt the other man's story.

Merlin's voice rose and fell on every suspenseful moment. His words flowed smoothly and eloquently as if he had told the story a million times. He probably had, given that he sounded really proud of his parents. Arthur closed his eyes, feeling oddly relaxed.

Suddenly, Merlin's voice dropped to a whisper that Arthur had to strain to hear him. _"I was with him for only a couple of weeks but . . . he was a great man. I imagined he could have been a great father had fate given him a chance."_

With all unexpectedness, Arthur felt his eyes burned like hot coals and a lump hindered his throat. It was so like Merlin to voice out the thoughts he hadn't even known he was thinking. Warm tears flowed down his temples and, to his horror, a sob was trying to tear its way out of his throat.

"_Arthur?" _

Arthur furiously wiped away the unbidden tears and chocked down his sob. It was unbecoming of a man like himself to be crying over . . . over something like this.

However, try as he might, the sorrow he was feeling in his heart made the tears and sobs unstoppable. By the gods, there was only so much he could take.

"I-I think," Arthur croaked, feeling that it would be better if just said it. "M-My father is the same. His health—He isn't good. Though he—he wa-_is_ never the ideal f-father, maybe if-_when_ he gets through this, maybe I'll be able t-to appreciate his efforts of trying to be one."

He didn't make sense. Arthur knew he didn't make sense, seeing as he never even told Merlin about his father's condition or anything about his father. But he needed to let it out. Tears gathered at corners of his eyes and threatening to spill again. He kept swallowing every sound that escapes his throat that he was having a hard time breathing.

"_Arthur, Arthur, listen to me. Calm down. Deep breaths._" Merlin said, voice comforting but firm.

Arthur complied, whole body trembling at the force of emotions he was having. A pitiful sounding wail escaped his throat and he hurriedly clamped a hand over his mouth.

_"Arthur, it's alright. Just—don't . . . don't hold back. It's just you and me here, alright?"_ Merlin sounded calm and controlled but a hint of worry dripped in his tone.

Maybe Arthur was going insane because he suddenly had the strange urge to laugh. And laugh he did. "The fact that you're hearing this worries me greatly. Morgana is not to hear a word of this." The blonde mockingly ordered.

_"And I swear that she shall not hear it from me."_ Merlin promised, tone serious like he was reciting a pledge for a king. It astonished Arthur. Then, tentatively, Merlin asked, _"Do you want to talk about it?"_

Arthur sobered up almost immediately. He wondered for a moment, wanting to give an honest response. _No_ should have been automatic but saying "Yes." felt a whole lot better already.

He could almost see Merlin rearranging his limbs for a better position as he heard the shuffles in the background before the man said a simple,

_"I'm listening."_

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**Sorry if I haven't got the time to reply to your reviews. I'm afraid I have to limit myself by replying only to those who had asked questions. But I appreciate all your support!**

**Constructive criticisms are hugged and invited to dinner! Flames are alright as long as you don't hurt anyone else!**

**Have a nice day, everyone!**

_**~Vividpast**_


	6. Of Hackers and Tumblrs

**Warnings:** SLASH! May or may not have character death. I haven't decided yet.

**Pairings: **Arthur/Merlin, yeah!

**Rating:** For teenagers and above because I'm a teenager myself and I don't think this is for someone younger than me.

**Genre:** Humor, Friendship, Romance

**A/N:** First of all, thank you for all your words of comfort. I thought I've cried all that I can but you guys really are so kind and I couldn't help myself.

Second, I'M SORRY FOR BEING SUCH A HORRIBLE AUTHOR. I really was planning to upload it the day after I uploaded the last one but I had a change of plans. Sorry, but this part is important to the plot. I apologize.

Unbeta'd so all mistakes are mine.

**Disclaimer:** In my sweetest dreams, I owned Colin Mor—I mean, BBC Merlin. Then I had to wake and face reality. :'(

_**Enjoy~**_

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_**~Chapter Six: Of Hackers and Tumblrs~**_

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"_~~You're the voice, try and understand it. Make a noise and make it clea~r~~"_

The song of John Farnham was what woke Arthur up.

He opened his eyes, grimacing as they stung. His blue orbs felt puffy and unusual. Damn, had he slept with his eyes open _again_? That was funny the first time it happened but not anymore.

Suddenly, the memories of yesterday's events slammed to him like a gust of cold air, making him reel back. He was surprised, however, that the grief that came along with it receded quite a bit. He flushed as he remembered last night's break down, both embarrassed and astonished with himself.

Gods, he had babbled and bawled to Merlin like a pathetic little kid. And he was older than Merlin by at least three years.

Realizing that his phone was still ringing, he snatched it and answered with "H-Hello? Arthur Pendragon speaking." He hoped that his voice came out as hoarse from sleep, not from crying. Then, he belatedly wondered when he had hang up on Merlin for someone to be able to call him.

"_Arthur,"_ Morgana's voice was the same harsh sound as his and she made no effort to hide it, unlike Arthur. _"How's the hand?"_

"The wha—" The throbbing of his right hand reminded him of his stupidity. "How do you even know about that?"

"_The blood outside father's room and the dented wall was proof enough."_ Arthur tensed at the mention of their father. Sensing this, Morgana asked, "_How are you?"_

"I'm fine." It wasn't completely true but it was an automatic response. "You?" Arthur asked in return, remembering his sister's out-of-character actions yesterday.

"_I'm alright."_ Morgana hesitantly paused, something uncharacteristically her. "_Just . . . take a day off from work, yeah? Just for today."_

But Arthur needed to keep busy. He needed to numb the pain he was feeling. Maybe he'll secretly sneak into the office and do some work. But, as if Morgana read his mind, she added,

"_Don't you even dare. I told everyone at the office not to let you in no matter what, so don't bother trying."_

Arthur groaned. Damn that control freak of a sister. The office was more scared of Morgana than him so it was no use trying to intimidate them into letting him in. "Morgana . . ."

"_No, Arthur. Go to the pub and get drunk. Go out and bully little kids. Call up your mates and watch porn together or whatever you boys do."_

Arthur rolled his eyes at the suggestions. He seldom drinks because doing so wouldn't really solve the problem and the hangover that resulted from it was troublesome. He doesn't bully kids. He had outgrown watching porn and he had no mates. Except for Gwaine. But if he calls him up, suggestion # 1 would happen so just _no_.

"_Or . . ."_ He heard Morgana smirk. _"you could flirt all day with that wizard of yours."_

Arthur's face tried hard to imitate a tomato. "I do not flirt with him. I never had and will never flirt with Merlin. Where did you even get that idea?"

"_I have a copy of your every text and I say, I never knew you were this bold, Arty."_

"You _what_? Where did you even get a bloody copy?" Arthur demanded, a snarl in his tone.

Morgana clicked her tongue. _"Little brother, it's like you haven't known me your whole life."_

Arthur wished he hadn't. Some of the things he knew about Morgana were so scary it's not even funny.

"_Just talk to him again like last night, alright? He's good for you."_ Morgana said, a hint of softness in her voice that Arthur rarely heard, especially when it's directed to him.

As much as he wanted to deny the last statement, Arthur knew it was true. Arthur sighed in resignation. The concept of talking to Merlin was becoming a better idea by the minute. It would certainly be better than working at the office and unnecessarily snapping at his employees. Especially now that Arthur now had the privilege of calling him and hearing his voice.

And then, something occurred to him.

"Wait, talk to him _again_?" Merlin had promised he would speak of it to no one. And Arthur trusted him. "How the hell did you know about that?"

Morgana's answer was a witch's cackle and a beep as the line went dead. Arthur immediately dialed Merlin's number.

After a few rings, a wide-awake _"Arthur?" _greeted him.

"Did you tell Morgana about last night?" Arthur blurted straightforwardly.

"_No!"_ Merlin almost shouted, sounding slightly offended that Arthur might even think that. _"I promised that I wouldn't tell her."_

"Did you forwarded all our texts to her?"

"_Um . . . I may have accidentally pressed the wrong button?" _Merlin sighed. _"Sorry. She was very persistent until I gave it to her. And threatened to—well, you do not want to hear about that part."_

The blonde rolled his eyes. That was so like Morgana. Arthur unconsciously ran a hand through his hair. "Well, that solves that mystery. But that doesn't explain how she knew we talked to each other last night." Then, a thought occurred to him. "Oh gods, my sister _is_ a grey-hat hacker."

Merlin released a small laugh. Arthur's heart forgot that it had a job to beat as he heard it.

"_Don't be ridiculous, Arthur. Seeing as Morgana probably has thousands of minions under her command, it is only reasonable to assume that one of them was the hacker and she made him do all the work."_

"That's right!" Arthur mock exclaimed. "Then, she cast a spell on our phones so that she can monitor everything we do. She's probably listening to us right now."

"_Oh, hi, Morgana! I just want you to know that you really scare me and I'm really glad you're on my side now. I'll be working hard on those Matt Smith-signed posters."_

There was silence.

Until both of them burst out laughing, the sound boisterous and carefree.

"I think we're going bonkers." Arthur managed in between laughs.

"_You were already mad. Now, you're just influencing me."_ Was Merlin's reply.

Arthur smirked. "So does that mean _I_ make you go crazy?" he said with a hint of something even he couldn't identify.

"_And you are putting words in my mouth, prat."_ There was a pause. _"But I guess you do make me act a bit silly."_

Arthur was utterly surprised at the admission. "Do you say that to all the blokes you've randomly texted?"

Merlin chuckled. _"Only to prats who get under my skin."_

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Before long, Arthur was back at work, snapping at his employees _only_ when necessary. He wasn't over that fact that his father might die any moment but hope was still brewing in his heart. Talking to Merlin truly did wonders.

Midafternoon, in an uncharacteristic urge to take a break from work, Arthur was randomly surfing the net. Merlin told him it would help relax his mind. Arthur, meanwhile, was finding no delight reading blogs that criticized his father's company.

When he said as much to Merlin, he replied with, "_You dollophead. Of course you won't relax when you read those blogs._" There was pause. "_Wait, I'll text you a site that has great blogs. Create an account there, alright?_"

"www ._ tumblr . com"_ came on his phone not a moment later.

Shrugging and deciding it couldn't hurt, he typed the website and press enter.

Approximately ten minutes later, he realized that trying could _hurt_ and that he shouldn't have trusted Merlin.

"I hate you." Arthur seethed as soon as Merlin picked up.

The bastard was laughing. Here he was, scarred for life and Merlin was laughing his ass off. Then, abruptly, the laughter stopped like a candle snuffed out by the wind. There was some kind of a faint sound of _thump thump thump_ then, complete silence. It was ominous.

Worried, Arthur called out, "Merlin?" Nothing. "Merlin, stop messing around." Arthur said, ignoring the way his stomach was dropping with dread. Oh gods, what if Merlin suddenly hit his head and was knocked unconscious? And then, he was slowly bleeding to death . . .

Then, "_I'm—_" Merlin cleared his throat and promptly coughed, the noise sounding painful. "_I'm fine. Just choked on my own saliva._"

Arthur stifled his sigh of relief. "You truly are an idiot."

"_Coming from the man who I managed to trick into going to tumblr."_ Merlin snickered.

"I cannot believe you gave me that address. You are paying for my therapy sessions."

"_Come off it. It's not that bad."_ Merlin reasoned.

"Not that bad? Have you even visited it? They casually talk about things that—that should never even left the confines of their own mind. They're broadcasting things that . . . that should never been broadcast." Arthur said in a slightly embarrassed tone.

"_How articulate, Arthur._" He replied dryly.

"Shut up, _Mer_lin."

He could practically see Merlin rolling his eyes as he sighed. "_Fine, there's that. But once you get over that part, you'll see that people there have some really great ideas and discussions. They're even as witty and clever as me._"

"That doesn't really say anything. Everyone is wittier and cleverer that you."

"_And seeing as I'm much more intelligent than you, you're at the bottom of the food chain._"

Arthur frowned. "That doesn't even make sense."

"_Yes, it does and you just have to deal with it. Anyway, back to topic, give it another try._"

"My mind is not going to survive 'another try'." Arthur drawled out.

"_You are such a big baby. Just scroll down and skip the parts you find disturbing."_

"I find all of them disturbing." Arthur retorted.

"_And yet you stayed on the site for ten minutes."_

"I did not!" he denied.

"_So it took you ten minutes to dial my number? Oh no! Arthur, should I call the doctor? There's obviously something wrong with your nervous system."_ The mock worry in the tone was evident.

Arthur scowled. "_Fine_. I admit that some of the things they pointed are fairly interesting. But it's not worth the trauma I suffered."

"_You—DING DONG_" the loud noise from the other line interrupted their bickering. _"Wait just a second."_

"Is that your doorbell? Who's that?" Arthur asked curiously. "Are you expecting someone?"

"_Nope. Probably just salesman or a serial killer randomly choosing his kill."_

"You say such inspiring things." Arthur replied, sarcasm dripping in his tone.

Merlin just gave a soft laugh. He heard the locks clicking as Merlin opened the door.

"_Merlin!"_ a new voice sounded, a mixture of frustration, desperation, confusion and a tint of anger compressed in just that one word.

Merlin never mentioned any friends, be it at work or his neighbors. The man had once narrated the story of his best friend Will who died several years ago but that was about it. Arthur had assumed he hadn't got any left. Actually, now that he thought about it, Merlin must have been leading a pretty lonely life. The fact that someone was talking to Merlin so familiarly had gotten him intrigued.

"_Lan—"_ Merlin's voice started but was interrupted by an upset, _"What's this about you backing out of the list! ?"_

"_Calm down." _Merlin said. Arthur can hear him gritting his teeth and he wondered why Merlin sounded quite upset himself.

"_You can imagine my surprise when I heard from the h—**BEEP BEEP BEEP**"_

The line went dead. Arthur frowned at his phone as if it had done him some great harm. He quickly redialed Merlin's number, wondering why Merlin hung up without preamble.

"_The number you dialed cannot be reached. Please try again later."_

Arthur tried a few more times and, receiving the same monotonic voice as the reply every time, gave up. He dropped his phone (not) gently down the desk. Trying to be nonchalant, he went back to his computer to give this 'tumblr' blog another chance (but not because Merlin told him so).

He tried to tell his heart that Merlin had a good reason for hanging up. Yeah, maybe that guy was a loan shark and Merlin didn't want Arthur knowing that he was in great debt. Or maybe—

_He was his boyfriend_.

Arthur promptly froze at the thought. And stayed like that for a good half-hour before reminding himself that it didn't matter if the guy was Merlin's boyfriend. It really didn't.

Arthur didn't know who he was fooling.

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**My sister and I went to this tumblr sight and, well, we were slightly traumatized at first because of all those—um, how should I say this—bold posts? We backed off for a few days, before my sister finally gave in to curiosity and got addicted to the said site. I think I'm giving in a bit myself. What do you think? Is it a wise decision to get a tumblr account?**

**Thanks for all your support! And now, for your awesomeness, a PREVIEW!**

"_Isn't about time you two meet?" Morgana said, a sly smile on her face._

_Arthur's jaw dropped. The idea was ludicrous, impossible and completely genius—not that Arthur's going to say the last one to Morgana. "Are you crazy? Weren't you the one who told me he could be a stalker or a psycho?"_

"_I don't think he's that bad. He had me charmed with his texts alone and you know that I'm not easily swayed. Meet in a public place if you're that worried." She suggested, raising a brow._

"_I'm not even considering it, Morgs. We've only been texting for two months. Two months." He said in reply, pretending to be concentrating in a document in his hands._

"_The fact that you haven't even attempt to change the subject means that you are. I know you too well, brother." Morgana sounded smug as she added, "And two months is a long time. Most of your relationships doesn't even last a month."_

"_That's not true." Except, it was. Damn, he had been reading the same paragraph for ten times. He dropped the papers and turned to his evil sister. "Besides, Merlin and I don't have any kind of relationship other than being friends."_

_The thought of setting up a meet hadn't even occurred to Arthur. But now that the idea was planted in his mind, it was all he could think about. Where would they meet? What __would he wear? Will Merlin be the guy Arthur expected him to be?_

**Constructive criticisms are hugged and invited to dinner! Flames are alright as long as you don't hurt anyone else!**

**Have a nice day, everyone!**

_**~Vividpast**_


	7. Of Cowards and Schoolgirls

**Warnings:** SLASH! May or may not have character death. I haven't decided yet.

**Pairings: **Arthur/Merlin, yeah!

**Rating:** For teenagers and above because I'm a teenager myself and I don't think this is for someone younger than me.

**Genre:** Humor, Friendship, Romance

**A/N:** OH MY GODS, over a hundred reviews and favorites! I love you guys! I never though this story is worth all that attention. *hugs*.

I was really a wreck after the finale of Merlin and I couldn't write all the fluff that was supposed to be in this chapter. But finally, I decided to do something cheerful!

Unbeta'd so all mistakes are mine.

**Disclaimer:** If I owned BBC Merlin, I would have had a season 6! But sadly, I don't, so it doesn't. *sobs*

_**Enjoy~**_

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_**~Chapter Seven: Of Cowards and Schoolgirls~**_

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**Previously:** _Merlin and Arthur discussed hackers and tumblrs. Merlin suddenly hang up on Arthur when a mysterious guy showed up on his doorstep. Arthur's thoughts were as such:_

_He tried to tell his heart that Merlin had a good reason for hanging up. Yeah, maybe that guy was a loan shark and Merlin didn't want Arthur knowing that he was in great debt. Or maybe—_

_He was his boyfriend._

_Arthur promptly froze at the thought. And stayed like that for a good half-hour before reminding himself that it didn't matter if the guy was Merlin's boyfriend. It really didn't._

_Arthur didn't know who he was fooling._

_**And now . . .**_

"Why did you hang up?" Arthur had asked a couple of hours later when Merlin picked up, definitely _without_ a hint of hurt in in his voice.

"_Sorry." _Merlin replied sincerely, though there was a nervous edge on his tone._ "That was - uh . . . my agent, you know, responsible for my acting career and stuff._" Merlin explained. _ "He . . . sounded like he was going to spout curses and, well, I didn't want to damage your delicate ears."_

So, he wasn't his boyfriend. Huh. The relief he felt in his chest _definitely_ didn't have anything to with that information.

Then, Arthur frowned. "Why was _he_ mad? He mentioned you backing out of a list? List of what?"

"_You know—er, auditioning stuff."_ Merlin said. _"He wanted me to try out for a role but I didn't want to. So, I backed out of the list of . . . auditionees? auditioners?"_

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Auditionees." He corrected. "And really, Merlin, are you in any position to refuse such a chance? I thought you wanted to be famous."

The sound of a quick consecutive _KLACK KLACK KLACK_ sounded in the other line. _"Google says auditionees_ is_ correct."_ Then, the sound came again. Arthur assumed it was the sound of the keys tapping. _"Aha! Auditioners is also right. Both can be used. You're wrong, prat."_ Merlin sounded awfully smug about that.

"_Mer_lin!" Arthur said with exasperation and maybe a bit of fondness. It was so like the idiot to pay attention to the most trivial part of the discussion. "We're discussing something that could potentially destroy your career and dreams!"

"_Are you actually worried about me?"_ Arthur didn't know how but he could hear Merlin's smile through that statement.

"No." he denied quite convincingly (not).

Merlin laughed and Arthur forced himself not to smile at the sound. Then, he realized no one that matters would see and so, he indulged himself.

But alas, he was mistaken. "By that dumb smile on your face, I could only guess that you're talking to our Harry Potter." Morgana grinned as she entered his office with unnecessary flourish. And uninvited (again).

"Oh shit." Arthur whispered to the phone. "The witch is coming. I'll talk to you later. And I'm giving you advice on how not to destroy your career."

"_Oh, don't worry about me, _Mother_. With my good looks and charming personality, I'm sure I would get by."_ Merlin snickered like a kid. _"And say hello to Morgana for me."_

"What are you talking about? Morgana's probably recording this conversation. And she'll hear this and I won't have to do anything."

"_Oh right."_ Was the reply in a whisper. _"Be careful, Arthur. Don't fall into her spells."_

"Don't worry." And before he could prevent, the words came tumbling from his lips. "I'm only allowed to fall for _your_ spells."

He froze, mind whirling. Why the hell did he just say that? Sure, they flirted once in a while (read: most of the time) but he had crossed the line. And what's more, that statement was extremely sappy and cliché. What was he _thinking_? Merlin was awfully silent.

Opting for a tactical retreat, he said, "Well, uh, goodbye." And promptly hang up.

Arthur stared at his phone, horrified. He hoped he hadn't ruined the one thing that highlights his days.

Morgana's laugh slapped him back to reality. "My god, 'I'm only allowed to fall for your spells'" she repeated, adopting a tone that she thought was similar to his. Then, she laughed some more. "Oh, Arthur, you could write a book with that!"

Arthur's cheeks burned with embarrassment. He glared hard at his sister. "What do you want, Morgana?"

She composed herself and stared at him with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Isn't it about time you two meet?" Morgana said, a sly smile on her face.

Arthur's jaw dropped. The idea was ludicrous, impossible and completely _genius_—not that Arthur's going to say the last one to Morgana. "Are you crazy? Weren't you the one who told me he could be a stalker or a psycho?"

"I don't think he's that bad. He had me charmed with his texts alone and you know that I'm not easily swayed. Meet in a public place if you're that worried." She suggested, raising a brow.

"I'm not even considering it, Morgs. We've only been texting for two months. _Two months._" He said in reply, pretending to be concentrating in a document in his hands. But he wasn't working then and he didn't think he would be working now.

"The fact that you haven't even attempt to change the subject means that you are. I know you too well, brother." Morgana sounded smug as she added, "And two months is a long time. Most of your relationships doesn't even last a month."

"That's not true." Except, it was. Damn, he had been reading the same paragraph for ten times. He dropped the papers and turned to his evil sister. "Besides, Merlin and I don't have any kind of relationship other than being friends."

The thought of setting up a meet hadn't even occurred to Arthur. But now that the idea was planted in his mind, it was all he could think about. Where would they meet? What would he wear? Will Merlin be the guy Arthur expected him to be?

Shaking his head out of his thoughts, Arthur sniped, "And what makes you think Merlin would want to meet up with me? He must be thinking _I_ was the psycho or something." Saying it like that, Arthur realized that it might be true.

Morgana laughed—no, actually, she _cackled_. "Arthur, Merlin already knows you're a mad man that escaped from the mental hospital. And I think he's willing to take the risk because he's so besotted with you."

Arthur glowered and sarcastically said, "Wow, you're trust in my mental health is astounding, Morgs." Then, the second statement caught up to him. "Wait, besotted? _Merlin_? W-With me?" A strange kind of warmth blossomed in his chest.

Morgana gave her trademark I-know-something-you-would-kill-for-to-know smirk. "He cares for you and I think he wants to meet you. But since, he was the one who texted you first, he's afraid you might think this was some sort of scam. Ergo, you should be the one to take the initiative."

Well, that actually made sense. "Did he tell you that? Because it would be suspicious if he did."

"No." His sister looked at him as if he was hopelessly stupid. "But I've read enough romance novels to know that kind of thing."

Arthur scrunched his nose. "Romance novels? Really? You're going to use that as your reference?"

"I don't see why not."

"Yeah, good for you. But that doesn't mean I should. This could be a terrible idea."

"Coward."

The blonde scowled. "I am not going to be manipulated like that. I am not a kid anymore."

"Coward."

"And here I thought you were the mature one."

"Co~ward." She singsonged

"Nope. I'm going to ignore you now."

"Arthur Pendragon is a co~ward~, like a timid little school~boy~, afraid to ask his crush out~" Morgana sang with an annoyingly high-pitched voice that can shatter glass. Actually, Arthur might have seen the coffee mug on his table shake.

An angry vein made itself known on Arthur's temples. "Fine, you nasty witch. I'll ask him to meet up. And if he doesn't agree, that's out of my hands, alright?"

"You're doing this sometime today, right?" Morgana asked, giving him no means of escape.

"Yes, fine, today. Now, go irritate someone else for a change."

Morgana chuckled, her stiletto heels clicking as she walked towards the door.

Then, just before she exited, she looked over her shoulder and said, "Good luck on your date~"

"It's not—!" The door was closed before Arthur could even finish his statement.

Arthur glared at the door, hoping at the back of his mind that Morgana suddenly combusted and burn to ashes. Oh, he could just picture it. But nooo~, she was probably cackling like the witch she was. Then, the conversation they had finally caught up to him.

He had just agreed to meet Merlin.

He had just agreed to MEET Merlin! By the gods, what was he thinking? He couldn't meet Merlin. It was too soon. It was . . . he just can't.

"_Co~ward." _His mind echoed.

"Shut up, Morgana." He said through gritted teeth. "I'm not a coward."

He gingerly fished out his phone from his pocket.

Glancing at the cellphone in his hand, Arthur sighed. He was going to have to do this. A real Pendragon was always true to his word (Arthur clamped down the memory of his father lest he'll breakdown again). Before he could lose his nerve, he scrolled down to Merlin's number and pressed the call button.

A familiar _"Hullo"_ spoke from the other line.

"Merlin, it's, ah, um, Arthur." Well, that was smooth. He could only hope that he doesn't sound as hysterical as he felt.

"_Oh, prat."_ Merlin greeted. _"Got that advice for me?" _And thank the gods, Merlin decided not to mention his parting statement earlier.

"Well," Arthur started, tone as serious as he can make it. "There's only one advice I can give actors; don't develop a split-personality disorder."

Arthur heard muffled laugh. _"That's—"_ More snickers escaped Merlin. _"That's a pretty good advice. You can obviously make a career out of this."_

"I'm good at everything." Arthur said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"_Yes. But be sure to put on weights so that you won't float like a hot air balloon with that inflated ego of yours. We wouldn't want you to disappear into space, now, would we?" _

Arthur couldn't help but smile at that. Merlin always does that to him. Then, he remembered what he had to do. Straightening his shoulders like he was going to battle, Arthur exhaled.

"Listen, Merlin. I—" He cleared his throat. "I was—um—wondering if we could—ah, that is—you know—" _Stop speaking like a bumbling fool_, Arthur told himself. He decided to just blurt it all out. "Can we meet up?"

Silence followed his question. Arthur bit his lip, a habit he thought he'd broken long ago. Merlin just brings out the worse in him and do make him feel like an adolescent girl asking her crush out. And that was just _wrong_. He hoped Morgana doesn't find out about this.

The pause was excruciatingly long. Just when Arthur was about to call it off as a joke and the result of too much stress, Merlin stammered out.

"_Er—um, I would love to. If-If you're sure . . .?"_ Relief caught Arthur's chest, pure and refreshing like a breath of fresh air, and he couldn't stop the grin that made its way to his face. _"Um, wh-where and when?"_

Arthur knew just the place. Though his heart was still working overtime and his brain muddled in the fog of warm happiness, his mouth seemed to know what to do.

"Do you know Albion's Diner?" It was public enough in case this all goes horribly wrong but still quiet when the patrons wanted to talk. Plus, it was the only middle-class diner Arthur actually liked.

"_Yeah. It's a twenty-minute ride from my flat."_

"How about we meet there by, say," Arthur went through his schedule for the week. "Saturday? Twelve in the afternoon?"

"_Yeah."_ Merlin breathed out. _"Yeah, okay."_

"So . . . see you there?"

"_I g-guess."_ Merlin was practically hyperventilating on the other line. It was good to know he wasn't the only one nervous. "_You're really asking me—I mean—Bye."_

Arthur stared in shock at his phone. Then, a great feeling of excitement overwhelmed him. He punched the air with both fists.

"Yes!" Yup, definitely _not_ a schoolgirl with a hopeless crush.

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**Thank you all!**

**And really, how AWESOME was that finale? Sure, Arthur died but aside from that, IT WAS PERFECT. I cried a thousand tears though. A magic reveal but only for one episode but it was full of BAMF!Merlin and heartfelt talks.**

**Oh, here's a PREVIEW just in case I don't update fast enough. And because all of you are precious:**

He hurriedly pushed the right buttons so that he won't have time for second thoughts. With _him_, you would surely have several.

"_Gwaine the Babymaker speaking. How may I be of assistance, my lady?"_

"That is the most disgusting and oldest line in the book. Please look at your caller ID before opening your mouth, you bloody pervert, or I may be traumatized next time I am crazy enough to call you." Arthur dryly retorted.

"_Oh, Princess! That you, mate?"_ Gwaine's voice was energetic and happy. He always was the cheerful—albeit skirt-chaser—type. _"Man, I haven't heard from you in weeks."_

"Stop calling me that blasted nickname, Gwaine." Arthur replied even though he knew it was useless. The man had been calling him that the moment they met.

"_Wanna go out for a drink? It's your treat, of course."_

"No, I need to ask you something." Oh gosh, is he really going to ask Gwaine for fashion advice? Gritting his teeth, Arthur prepared himself for the humiliation he was sure to receive. "Say I—_you_ would be meeting up with someone, not for work, but for other reasons. Even though it is unrelated to work, _you_ still want—I mean—_need_ to amaze them. You know, leave a good impression. What do you suggest I—_you_ should wear on that occasion?"

There was pregnant pause. Arthur tapped his foot impatiently.

"_Are you asking me what you should wear on a date?"_ Gwaine finally replied.

**Constructive criticisms are hugged and invited to dinner! Flames are alright as long as you don't hurt anyone else.**

**Have a great day, everyone!**

**~Vividpast**


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